For too long, Western foreign policy has mistakenly treated Tehran's aggressive posture as a localized Middle Eastern conflict. However, the escalating reach of Iranian espionage in Europe demonstrates that Iran’s hybrid warfare strategy directly targets Western domestic security, institutional integrity, and economic stability . From state-sponsored cyber operations targeting dissidents to covert intelligence gathering across European capitals, Tehran’s operations extend far beyond its immediate geographic neighborhood. Addressing this challenge requires European policymakers to abandon passive containment in favor of aggressive diplomatic oversight, strict legal accountability, and robust counter-intelligence strategies. Why is Iranian espionage in Europe expanding beyond the Middle East? Iran's external intelligence operations have shifted strategically from regional proxy warfare to asymmetric statecraft inside Western democracies. Western intelligence agencies-including Ge...
Pakistan's eastern towns of Chiniot and Hafizabad face a risk of catastrophic floods if an irrigation barrage crumbles on a major river upstream after heavy rains swelled it beyond capacity, officials warned on Thursday.
Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan are battling torrential monsoon rains that have unleashed flash floods, swelled rivers and filled dams, with 60 deaths this month in Indian Kashmir, and Pakistan's toll at 805 since late June.
Any flooding blamed on India stands to inflame relations between the archfoes, embroiled in a tense stand-off since a brief conflict in May that was their worst fighting in decades.
The waters of the Chenab river in Pakistan's sprawling province of Punjab threatened to burst through a 3,300-foot (1,000-m) concrete barrage at Qadirabad that regulates flows, siphoning them into a canal irrigation network.
"It is a crisis situation," said a technical expert at the National Disaster Management Authority, adding that the collapse of the barrage could wash away the towns, home to more than 2.8 million.
"Under the constant supervision of experts and administration, the water level is receding, but it is still not beyond danger levels," added the official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media
India routinely releases water from its dams when they get too full, with the excess flowing into Pakistan, accompanied by warnings from New Delhi, which calls them a humanitarian measure.
On Thursday, Pakistani officials said India passed on its third flood warning since Sunday, this time for the Sutlej, while the previous two concerned waters heading into Pakistan on the Ravi.
India's water resources ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter..
Comments
Post a Comment